11 July 2007

My cute little stalker.

Miss Rubi, our min pin + beagle mix pup, is now home. Unfortunately between Monday and Tuesday we had a dramatic and vile outbreak of food poisoning (or something) over here, which made the pup's arrival even more bombastic. Imagine a five year old puking every fifteen minutes and hysterical about the prospect about not being able to pick up her dog. Not exactly rolling out the red carpet.

Rubi is indeed here now, and so far she's doing quite well. Some of the cats are indifferent, some are slightly suspicious, and one is a little miffed (Murray, cow cat in picture) but made attempts at playing ball with her today. My biggest concern is the whole toddler and puppy thing. Ray is really jealous of Rubi, which makes me feel awful. Generally I'm much more fond of adult animals than baby ones (confession: I am impatient) but luckily Greg is more patient than I am.

I haven't had a dog since I was a kid, so this whole crate training thing is a bit mystical. Those in the know--please educate me. Last night we were spending way too much time intellectualizing Rubi's every sniff and wiggle, and synthesizing all of the housebreaking articles we've read. Greg took her out a zillion times and she didn't go. Gabi and I got her to tee tee outside today, which was great, but then she went in her crate when we got back. I am not going to take it personally.

Cats and dogs sure are different. Rubi totally follows me around and wants to know where I am. It's kind of scary and stalkerish! But we have had many sappy, sentimental "a girl and her small hound" moments today, so it's all good.

10 comments:

Think of the puppy's crate not only as your training tool but also as her "safe place." You probably know I can talk all day about puppies and training. But since I think I know you pretty well, I'm betting you've already read ten books about it and researched it online. You'll be fine. :o)

Man, you are brave, getting the dog when the kids are little! I replaced my kids with dogs. OK, not exactly like that, but you get my meaning. But I am dog obsessed now. They are tiny, two 10 lb Bostons, which are usually ugly but of course, mine are adorable. I thought they'd be lap dogs. Yeah, well. Not. They run a few miles with me every day and hunt! They jump up on logs and point! Not that they have noses to smell much with, but do they know that?Anyhow, maybe our dogs can have a little pow-wow some day!

oh, Rubi is sooo adorable! ah, the first stages of having a shadow dog. That's what Villanelle is--always following me whereEVER. She's not crate trained, but i know if a dog goes in their crate, it (the crate) may be a smidge big? Try putting a box or something? It worked for a dog i used to have and we just took out the box when the puppy grew...worth a try??

Cornshake, that's a good idea. Ours is actually adjustable, so I'll make it smaller and see. I left Rubi in there (door closed) for ten minutes today while I picked the kids up from my Mom's and there was a total shitstorm in there. Let's just say that I'm glad I splurged on that big bottle of puppy shampoo...

I'm going to have to get used to this shadow thing. I have one cat (Charlie) who does that, but not to this degree. I feel very...popular.

Ooh - food poisoning, the bane of summertime! Hope you are all on the mend.In all my doggie experiences, the key is patience and repetition and routine. You are going to be a great doggie whisperer before you know it!

If she cries in her crate, cover it completely with a blanket. They love the secure feeling of being in a cave. My dog doesn't have to go in her crate anymore, but she goes there all the time when she wants some peace and quiet. (yes, eventually even the dog will want peace)

She should also have a walk every day. That way, you can be sure she goes "tee tee" and release a lot of pent-up energy.

Terra, that's an awesome idea. Not that our house is chaotic or anything... ;)

Rubi has been really spoiled in the walk department, like six or seven a day. Luckily my summer class ends tomorrow, so I'll be able to do that more for a few weeks. She did really well overnight and this morning, so I am keeping my fingers crossed today.

About me.

I live in glorious Akron, Ohio, where I write poems, edit the Akron Series in Poetry, and teach literature and creative writing. I am the author of five full-length collections of poems, including A Sunny Place with Adequate Water, Small Enterprise, and the collaborative poetry collection The Czar, with Jay Robinson (all from Black Lawrence Press). I've received an NEA fellowship in poetry, and several individual excellence awards from the Ohio Arts Council. In 2019 my first collection of prose poems, Partial Genius, is due to drop from BLP.
In my spare time, I like to photograph garbage.